NHS Computer Systems (Hansard, 19 March 2001)

§ Mr. Ruffley
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he and his officials have made of the effect on(a) patient services, (b) procurement costs and (c) IT system suppliers of the time taken between submission of the first draft of full business cases for NHS hospital trust computer systems to NHS regional offices and approval of the final version of full business cases by the NHS executive. [153094]

§ Mr. Denham
[holding answer 9 March 2001]: No assessment has been made of the effect of the time taken between submission of the first drafts of full business cases (FBCs) for National Health Service hospital trust computer systems to NHS executive regional offices and approval of the final versions of those FBCs by the NHS executive. FBCs are approved as quickly as is consistent with the need to ensure that the proposed investment is affordable and represents value for money to the taxpayer.
95W

§ Mr. Ruffley
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his estimate is of the average time taken between submission of the first draft of full business cases for NHS hospital trust computer systems to NHS regional offices and approval of the final version of full business cases by the NHS executive. [153093]

§ Mr. Denham
[holding answer 9 March 2001]: The Department has approved eight full business cases (FBC) for hospital computer systems where the first draft of the FBC was submitted to the regional offices of the national health service executive on or after December 1998. On average, each of these FBCs was approved four months

NHS trust Type of investment Date of submission of first draft of full business case to the regional office Date of approval by regional office (and NHS Executive Headquarters where appropriate) Time between submission of first draft of FBC and approval of final version

Morecambe Bay Hospitals NHS Trust Patient Administration System December 1998/January 1999 January 1999 1 month

Royal Hull and East Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust Integrated Patient Management System December 1998/January 1999 August 1999 8 months

Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Trust Order Comms/Results Reporting and Departmental systems January 1999 February 1999 1 month

Bolton Hospital NHS Trust Patient Administration System and some departmental systems October 1999 December 1999 2 Months

North Durham Health Care NHS Trust Picture Archiving and Communication System April 2000 August 2000 4 Months

Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen University Hospitals NHS Trust Patient Administration System April 2000 September 2000 5 months

Calderdale Healthcare NHS Trust Picture Archiving and Communication System June 2000 November2000 5 months

Luton and Dunstable Hospital NHS Trust Electronic Patient Records July 2000 December 2000 5 months

NHS trust	Type of investment	Date of submission of first draft of full business case to the regional office	Date of approval by regional office (and NHS Executive Headquarters where appropriate)	Time between submission of first draft of FBC and approval of final version
Morecambe Bay Hospitals NHS Trust	Patient Administration System	December 1998/January 1999	January 1999	1 month
Royal Hull and East Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust	Integrated Patient Management System	December 1998/January 1999	August 1999	8 months
Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Trust	Order Comms/Results Reporting and Departmental systems	January 1999	February 1999	1 month
Bolton Hospital NHS Trust	Patient Administration System and some departmental systems	October 1999	December 1999	2 Months
North Durham Health Care NHS Trust	Picture Archiving and Communication System	April 2000	August 2000	4 Months
Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen University Hospitals NHS Trust	Patient Administration System	April 2000	September 2000	5 months
Calderdale Healthcare NHS Trust	Picture Archiving and Communication System	June 2000	November2000	5 months
Luton and Dunstable Hospital NHS Trust	Electronic Patient Records	July 2000	December 2000	5 months